Piano forte action



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

- H. O; LUTZ.

PIANO FORTB AGTION.

No. 366,781. Patented July 1-9, 1887.

N. PLIERS, Phowmw n her. wnhi n nnnnnn C.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets--Sheet 2.

H. U. LUTZ.

PIANO FORTE ACTION.

No. 366,781. Patented July 19, 1887.

N. PETERS. Wmlwlllhognphnr, wa nin mn, D4 C4 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERM-ANN o. LUTZ, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

PIANO-FORTE ACTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 366,781, dated July 19, 1887.

Application filed March .28, 1887. Serial No. 232,648. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HERMANN'O. LUTZ, of the city and county of New York, in the State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Piano-Forte Actions, of which the following is a specification.

Myin-vention relates tothose actions,whether for grand or upright pianos,in which the levers or members on which the keys act are supported by a bar or rail which is movable transversely to its length by the action of the softpedal; and the object of my invention is to maintain such levers or members in their proper relation to the surfaces of the keys which act upon them, notwithstanding that the forward movement of the bar or rail acts to lift said levers or members,as wellas to move them forward.

Theinvention consists in the combination, in a piano-forte action, with the keys and levers or members through which they operate the hammers, andwhich are provided with contactscrews on which the keys act, the keys having upon their upper surfaces rearwardly-extending inclines on which said contactscrews hear, of a bar or rail supporting said levers or members, and which is movable transverselyto its length, and connections through which said bar or rail, with the levers or members which it supports, may be moved forward by the so ftpedal of the instrument.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a grand action embodying my invention with the soft-pedal off. Fig. 2 is a corresponding view representing the parts as operated by the soft-pedal .or with the soft-, pedal on; and Fig. 3 represents an upright action also embodying my invention, the parts being shown as with the soft-pedal Off.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in the several figures.

dof the levers or members I), and which is so nected by a rod, h, with the bar or rail F,

while its other arm is connected by a rod, h", with the soft pedal. (Not here shown.) By this or other suitable connections the movement of the soft-pedal will throw forward the rail or bar F and the lovers or members D,

carried by it,into the position shown in Fig. 2, and will thereby lift and hold the hammers 13 up nearly to the strings A. By the forward movement of the rail or bar F and the levers or members D the contact screws or points d will be naturally carried upward slightly away from the keys E, and such upward movement would, if no provision for preventing it were provided, necessitate a longer movement of the key before it comes into action upon the screw d, and would render the touch of the keys variable or different when the soft-pedal is applied from what it would be if the soft-pedal were out of action. To avoid such variable touch, Iform upon the tops of thekeys or keylevers rearward]y-extending inclines e, upon which the contact-screws (Z bear. Then the bar or rail Fis swung forward by the application of the soft-pedal, the contact-screws cl are moved forward over a portion of the inclines e, which have greater projection above the keys or key-levers E, and therefore any material lost motion between the keys and the screws d is avoided.

In the example of my invention shown in Fig. 3 the levers or members D, carrying the screws cl, on which the key-levers or keys E act, are hung by flanges d to a rail or bar, F, as beford described, and this rail or bar has upwardly-extending arm's f, which are pivoted at f to the sides of the case or to the end portions or uprights of the action. Connections for moving the bar or rail F transversely to its length, and which are similar to those before described, are here shown; A belle "ank lever, II, 'fulcrumed at 71., has its arms respectively connected by rods h it with the bar or rail F and the soft-pedal. 3y a linkand-levcr connection, i I, the bar or rail F is connected with the hammer-rest rail C. \Vhen through the connections here shown the bar or rail F is moved or swung forward by the softpedal, the contact-screws (Z are brought into contact with the portion of the inclines 0 h aving greater projection above the keys E, and by the rods j, through which the lovers or members D act upon the other portiousof the action, the hammers are brought forward nearer to the strings A, and at the same time, through the link i and the lever I, the hammer-rest rail C is swung rearward to support the hammers. The action of the inclines c'in maintaining the uniform touch of the keys is the same as before described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2.

\Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a piano-forte action,the combination,with

be moved forward by the soft-pedal of the in- 35 strument, substantially as herein described.

II. C. LUTZ.

\Yitnesses:

O. HALL, MtNnn/r LINJHCWAN. 

